Ricky Gervais To Host The 2012 Golden Globes

Ricky Gervais on Extras
(Image credit: BBC/HBO)

We reported yesterday that a decision as to whether or not Gervais would host the Golden Globes was likely to come by the end of the week one way or the other, and that it was looking like it would either be Gervais hosting the ceremony again, or there would be no host at all. It seems the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has opted to take a(nother) chance on Gervais.

Variety posted the news, stating that "a person close to the process" has confirmed that the HFPA voted in favor of Ricky Gervais hosting the Golden Globes for the third time, though some details still need to be worked out before the official announcement is made.

As reported by Deadline yesterday, the HFPA was divided on the issue of whether or not bring the host back. Their source said, “The problem is, if you have Ricky, the show tends to wind up being all about him and how mean he can be. He effectively dwarfs the importance of the ceremony itself.” There was also a mention of NBC’s lobbying to get Gervais back on board to host, which may have gone unappreciated by the HFPA.

Assuming this is made official, fans of Gervais are likely to be thrilled that he’ll be back at the microphone this year. In previous years, Gervais wasn’t shy about roasting some of the celebrities during the ceremony, which celebrates both TV and movies. It’ll be interesting to see if he brings the same style of humor to the stage this year, or if he’ll tone it down.

The 2012 Golden Globes will air on Sunday, January 15, 2012 on NBC. If you're a fan of Gervais, you might want to check out this clip from Life's Too Short, his new TV show, which is currently airing in the UK and will make its way to the U.S. via HBO next year.

Update

Entertainment Weekly is confirming that it's official that Gervais is hosting. Meanwhile, Gervais tweeted, "Just told Billy Crystal he'd better not use any of my holocaust or pedophile material at The Oscars. He agreed (true)."

Kelly West
Assistant Managing Editor

Kelly joined CinemaBlend as a freelance TV news writer in 2006 and went on to serve as the site’s TV Editor before moving over to other roles on the site. At present, she’s an Assistant Managing Editor who spends much of her time brainstorming and editing feature content on the site. She an expert in all things Harry Potter, books from a variety of genres (sci-fi, mystery, horror, YA, drama, romance -- anything with a great story and interesting characters.), watching Big Brother, frequently rewatching The Office, listening to Taylor Swift, and playing The Sims.